Good Bye and Good Riddance
The asbestos industry in Canada has been supported by an organization called The Chrysotile Institute based in Montreal for many years. It was founded in 1984 (a perfect year for such an Orwellian organization to begin) and was originally called the Asbestos Institute. It was most recently funded by the Quebec Government. The Institute closed at the end of April 2012 with no public explanation given. The office in Montreal was quietly vacated April 5th with no forwarding address or phone number. On April 28th notice was posted in the Canada Gazette of intention to surrender its federal corporate charter. It no longer exists. The institute had been the leading source of asbestos disinformation around the world. It suggests that Chrysotile, the white form of asbestos mined in Canada, is safer than blue or other types of asbestos and it is okay to use with modest safety precautions. An example of their message that asbestos is good and minimizing the danger of it, is the following quote:
“Scientific and medical research has revealed that excessive exposure to inhaled asbestos dust can be dangerous to health. It should be noted, however, that the risks are generally related to exposure during handling of asbestos fibres in work environment.”
This quote and other false and dangerous information can still be found at www.chrysotile.com the website for the institute. Although the institute has abruptly ceased operations and closed, the website can be found online but hopefully it too will disappear. The misinformation campaign of the asbestos industry continues without it. Help us spread the truth and save lives in Canada and around the world.
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Clinochrysotile is the commonest of the three forms, found notablay at Asbestos, Quebec, Canada. Its two measurable refractive indices tend to be lower than those of the other two forms. The orthorhombic paratypes may be distinguished by the fact that, for orthochrysotile, the higher of the two observable refractive indices is measured parallel to the long axis of the fibres (as for clinochrysotile); whereas for parachrysotile the higher refractive index is measured perpendicular to the long axis of the fibres. Physical and chemical propertiesBulk chrysotile, whose hardness is about the same as that of a human fingernail, is easily crumbled to fibres that are, in fact, bundles of fibrils. Naturally-occurring fibre bundles range in length from several millimetres to more than ten centimetres, although industrially-processed chrysotile usually has shorter fibre bundles. The diameter of the fibre bundles is 0.1–1 b5m, and the individual fibrils are even finer, 0.02–0.03 b5m, each fibre bundle containing tens or hundreds of fibrils.Chrysotile fibres have considerable tensile strength, and may be spun into thread and woven into cloth. They are also resistant to heat and are excellent thermal, electrical and acoustic insulators.Chrysotile is resistant to even strong bases, but the fibres are attacked by acids: the magnesium ions are selectively dissolved, leaving a silica skeleton. It is thermally stable up to around 550 b0C, at which temperature it starts to dehydrate. Dehydration is complete at about 750 b0C, with the final products being silica and forsterite (magnesium silicate). Safety concernsChrysotile asbestosChrysotile, as well as other forms of asbestos, is considered to be a human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)[10] and by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.[1] Asbestos exposure is associated with parenchymal asbestosis, asbestos-related pleural abnormalities, mesothelioma, and lung cancer, and it may be associated with cancer at some extra-thoracic sites.Chrysotile has been recommended for inclusion in the Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent, an international treaty that restricts the global trade in hazardous materials. If listed, exports of chrysotile would only be permitted to countries that explicitly consent to imports. Canada, a major producer of the mineral, has been harshly criticized by the Canadian Medical Association for its opposition to including chrysotile in the Convention.